Chapter Three

"House, you're my boss. I'm not working right now. That means that I don't have to explain myself to you and you have no right to demand answers from me."

Allison was cursing herself internally. If she hadn't left the note he probably would have just assumed she was exercising downstairs or swimming or some other in-hotel activity.

"I think that when my lone immunologist leaves the hotel we're staying at in the middle of the night to wander around downtown Chicago I have the right to ask questions." He grinned at her. "Drugs? Prostitution? Kinky sex clubs? What are you getting into? Do you know what could have happened to you?"

Inside House was seething. If she hadn't left the note he probably would have killed her. It was almost morning and here she was just meandering around town when god knows what could have happened to her.

Cameron's head was beginning to pound.

After her mother's death everyone had escaped Chicago, Nicholas even transferring to University of Colorado. They had left the twelve-year-old Allison with their father; assuming that he would take care of her like he had taken care of them when they were kids. There had been a convenient forgetfulness that Allison hadn't actually lived with the man in over twelve years.

The siblings had kept in touch, but it was a strained kind of touch for a few years, one that came with a deep sadness and made Allison call less and find no one to confide in. Even PJ found it at times difficult to talk to the girl who looked and sounded so much like her mother. She had been on her own to find an escape route by way of new friends and some not so brilliant situations. But, even when she had been fifteen and up wandering around Chicago at all hours of the night that was her problem - and no one else's business.

"Nothing did happen to me though. I'm fine." House grabbed her arm as she tried to slip into Denny's.

"Only because you have some dumb luck."

"Let go House." His grip was starting to hurt, but not enough where she was going to hurt him back to get away. Instead she made her voice low and harsh, the voice of one deadly calm pissed off individual. "Let me go. Right now."

House's eyes widened slightly and he dropped her arm as if he had been burned, only to bring up his cane to block the entrance.

"Al?" A man's head poked out. "The band was wondering if you were going to stand outside all night or actually come in and eat something." He paused, taking in the situation. "Do I need to hit someone?"

At this Allison managed to laugh. At least they had sent Steven over, Matthew's calm, rational boyfriend. His nickname for the family was also an old classic. "You haven't hit someone since that random man grabbed Matt's ass at Ellie's wedding and we all know it."

"I've been saving up some good punches for eleven years then."

Allison shrugged. "Be that as it may I'm a big girl. Tell 'em to give me two more minutes?"

Steven nodded. "We'll be watching. And Nick already ordered you some meal." He shook his head. "You guys eat at the strangest times."

Allison smiled at Steven's old complaint. "Spectacular." He disappeared back into the restaurant and House watched through the glass windows as he sat at a table filled with people.

"Who are all these people?"

"No one you need to know."

House shifted from one foot to the other and then slid around Cameron. "I guess I'll just ask them then."

Cameron dodged in front of the door. "You found me," she hissed. "Now go back to the hotel."

"Answer my question," he countered swiftly.

"Go away," Cameron ground out.

"As an individual" House announced decidedly, "I have the right to eat at Denny's whenever I want – even Foreman gained that right a few yeas ago." Cameron was speechless for the two seconds it took him to step around her and through the door, towards the table Steven had settled back at.

Cameron trailed in behind House because she didn't know what else to do and took a moment to evaluate the table. It could have been worse but not that much worse. PJ wasn't there nor was her father or any other famous faces that she would have to worry about.

Ellie was draped on one end of the booth talking animatedly to Finna. The younger half siblings had grown closer to the older ones as the years had gone on, however there would always be a special closeness between the three of them and Allie. Matt was next to Finna and Steven had just settled down on the other end of the booth.

Nick sat across from Matt who had taken the chair next to him to prop up his wounded leg, which was directly across from Steven. Teagan was next and talking to Nick. Allison's eyes finally settled on who she was looking for. Siobhan sat across from Ellie, lost in her own world her eyes peeled looking for Allison. The moment their eyes connected Siobhan jumped up from her seat and raced over.

Allison took the three seconds it took Shi to leap into her arms to contemplate fighting House. The moment her sister smiled at her though and exclaimed, "Lee I missed you!" Allison gave up. She missed these people too much to spend the rest of the night arguing with House.

"Hi Shi." Allie caught her in a one armed hug and laughed into her shoulder. "I missed you too. How was Rome?"

Siobhan pulled her sister towards the table, blatantly ignoring the man with the cane and handed her a steaming cup of hot chocolate. "Nicky was hungry so we got you some food and drink."

The drink warmed Allison's hands and she smiled gratefully at her little sister.

"I'll tell you all about Rome as soon as you tell me about the man that's glowering at your back."

Allison grinned at her and slipped into the seat that was Shi's, allowing her sister to perch on the other half of it.

"What man?"

His voice interrupted the game of Cat and Mouse that Allison was going to play. "I'm your friends pimp. I've decided I have to follow her on a few jobs tonight because women can't be trusted to pay their men."

House wasn't sure what he was expected but it definitely wasn't for one of the younger red headed girls to laugh and clap her hands while the sole man sitting in a chair groaned, let go of the woman that was hanging on him and pulled out his wallet.

"Bastard," Cameron muttered under her breath.

"Now, now Allie. You know mom and dad were married when I was born."

"And you know they weren't when I was," she shot back with missing a beat. "So don't be an ass about technicalities."

"They were married in name little miss smart ass. Now be nice and actually introduce us to the man that isn't your pimp." Ellie grinned at her little sister affectionately.

Allison cradled her hot chocolate possessively and shook her head. "Don't wanna."

"I'll take away the sugar rush you are currently experiencing," Nick threatened.

"I'll dump the sugar rush I'm currently experiencing on your head and stand here and watch because no doctor will help you."

Nick jerked his thumb at Finna. "Baby sis intern here will."

House was watching all of this but it was hard to keep track of names, especially because the two red heads looked remarkably alike, as did the older people at the table.

"Baby sis intern will not." Finna replied fiercely. "However if Allie won't introduce you to her pimp, I will."

"Oh!" Nick turned and nodded. "Dr. House. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Nicholas Cameron."

"Ignore him," Allison said, not addressing either man specifically. "He's a nut job."

"Allison, didn't PJ ever teach you to be nice to your elders?" Nick asked, a smirk pulling up his lips.

"He taught me how to shoot nerf guns at the paparazzi." Allison shot back without missing a beat. "And I was twelve and they were not. So, I believe we skipped that lesson."

Matt shook his head and turned to House. "You'll have to excuse them – they were raised by wolves. All of them." He held out a hand. "Matt Cameron, Allison's brother."

House made a split second decision and then took it. "Greg House, Allison's boss."

Matt nodded cheerfully. "I know. I'm Allie's favorite. And that right there is part of the rest of the Cameron family. I'm not even going to bother to introduce them."

Ellie rolled her eyes and picked up a spoon, which she used to hit a glass cup. The table quieted down and she gestured for House to pull up a chair.

"Okay. I have a list tonight of things to talk about." Allison groaned and hid her head behind Siobhan.

"Motion to adjourn?" She questioned hopefully.

"Anyone who seconds that right now will be babysitting the three terrors this Saturday for the whole day."

Shi, Nick and Teagan who had all been about to second it, closed their mouths abruptly.

"That's what I thought."

Eleanor Dermer (nee Cameron) House realized an hour later, was a force to be reckoned with. She dealt with all family matters quickly and smoothly and shot glares left and right to make sure that her siblings listened to her.

House had ordered breakfast and joined the siblings in munching on bacon and pancakes, watching with a fascinated amazement, as Allison Cameron became almost a completely different person around her siblings.

She was playful and funny and was constantly being silenced by Ellie with glares because she wanted to talk to her sister about Rome rather than listen to family plans.

An hour into the meal and House had figured out everyone's names at the table and that the two nearly identical sisters were twins – as were Ellie and Matt. Shi ('call me Siobhan and I will kill you Dr. House.'), Nick and Allison cheerfully called themselves the triplets of the group and would randomly dissolve into 'triple talk', which was a mock up of the twins made up childhood languages.

All in all it took about two hours to get through the list that Ellie had made on a napkin before House had showed up. The siblings seemed to finally be winding down with both their food and their conversation when Ellie looked up from her list.

"One more thing." She paused. "The house -"

"No." Allison was up out of her chair and standing over her sister with a glare on her face.

"Allie - "

"No."

Ellie and Matt stood, but the three younger siblings, a weary Nick and Steven stayed frozen in their seats. "PJ promised me." Her throat was closing up and her breath was coming in short pants. "And you promised. After the trial. I made you all promise that you wouldn't take this one thing away from me."

Ellie slumped slightly, as if this argument was all that was needed to win her over.

"We should sell it Al," but her protest was weaker than all the words House had heard her use in the past hours.

"I will buy it from him myself if I have to." She grabbed her purse from the table and slipped her coat on. "Motion to adjourn?"

There was a long silence and finally with a defeated sigh Nick whispered, "seconded."

And with that Cameron fled.